Self-bailing boat



Aug. 23, 1960 R. F. KEHN 2, 4 ,87

SELF-BAILING BOAT Filed Sept. 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORATTORNEY Aug. 23, 1960 R. F. KEHN SELF-BAILING BOAT Filed Sept. 17, 19582 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR RaZp/z Ell ein:

ATTORNEY United States Patent 'SELF-BAILING BOAT Ralph F. Kehn, 6111Rodgers Ave., Sarasota, Fla.

Filed Sept. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 761,509

2 Claims. (Cl. 114-185) This invention relates to a novel constructionof boat formed of a lightweight material and having a bottom ofsubstantial thickness so that the inside deck level of the hull is abovethe waterline of the boat, when normally loaded, to permit water todrain by gravity from Within the boat through drain ports formed in thehull bottom.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide aboat of the aforedescribed character wherein the drain port is equippedwith valve means to prevent water entering the boat through the drainport.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat constructionwhereby water is drained therefrom while the boat is not in motion andwherein additional siphoning means is provided for effecting a morerapid removal of water from the interior of the boat while the boat isunder way.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a boatconstruction having a Weighted keel disposed sufin ciently below thelevel of the hull bottom to adequately stabilize the boat.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a boat,constructed in accordance with the invention, taken substantially alonga plane as indicated by the line 1-1 of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional View of the boat,taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2--2 ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of a portion of the boat;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along aplane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a portion of thestructure as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, and

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 77 of Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 designatesgenerally the hull of a boat 11, constructed in accordance with theinvention. The hull 10 is formed primarily of balsa wood, cork,Styrofoam, Foamglas, or other similar lightweight material, designatedgenerally 12, having a low specific gravity. The hull material 12 iscovered both internally and externally thereof with coatings ofFiberglas 13 of suflicient thickness to adequately reinforce andstrengthen the hull 10. The exterior Fiberglas coating 13 is preferablymade thicker than the interior coating 13 to protect the hull material12 against damage due to the boat striking embedded or floating objectsor due to grounding.

2,949,875 Patented Aug. 23, 1960 As clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and2, the bottom 14 of the hull 10 is substantially thicker than theremainder of the hull, this additional thickness being provided by thematerial 12 of low specific gravity. In the boat 11v as illustrated, twotransversely spaced corresponding drain tubes .15 are embedded in andextend substantially through the hull bottom 14, and are preferablydisposed adjacent the stern of the boat 11, at approximately the lowestnormal level of the inside deck or bilge line 16 of the boat. However,as the description proceeds, it will be apparent that the boat could beequipped with only a single drain tube 15 or three or more such draintubes, depending upon the size of the boat.

Referring to Figure 4, the lower end of each drain tube 15 is preferablydisposed substantially flush with the outer coating or skin 13 of thehull bottom and opens downwardly therefrom. The upper end of each .tube15 is internally threaded, as seen at 17, and terminates somewhat belowthe deck 16 and opens into a cavity 18 in the upper side .of the hullbottom. A valve seat member 19, in the form of a hollow plug, isthreadedly secured to the upper end of the tube 15 by engagement of athreaded portion 20 thereof with the threaded portioni17. The hollowplug or valve seat member 19 has an annular downwardly flared valve seat21 at its lower end and the open upper end of the hollow interior orbore thereof is internally threaded, as seen at 22, to receive .a plug23 which may be utilized to seal the tube 15 and render it inoperative.A perforated deck plate 24 covers the open top of the hull recess 18with the periphery thereof seating in an annular recess 25 in theinterior deck coating 13. As previously stated, the plug 23 willnormally be removed and is applied only in the event that it is desiredto allow water to accumulate within the boat 11.

'The tube 15 is provided with a baffle unit 26 comprising two discs 27of a diameter to fit snugly Within the bore of the tube 15 and which aresecured immovably therein and in abutting relation to one another bysetscrews 28 which are threaded radially through the wall of the tube 15and against the discs 17. As seen in Figure 6, said discs 27 areprovided with a plurality of bores '29 which extend therethrough at anincline. The discs 27 are positioned so that the inner ends of the bores29 are disposed in registration. Thus, the registering bores 29 of thetwo discs 27 form an angle with one another to restrict the flow ofliquid through the bafile 26.

A sea strainer 30 is mounted in the tube 15 below the baflle 26 andcomprises a disc 31 which is perforated as seen at 32. The disc 31 fitsrelatively snug in the bore of the tube 15 and is secured irnmovablytherein by setscrews 33 which are threaded radially through the wall ofsaid tube and which abut the periphery of said disc 31. The strainer 30is located adjacent the open lower end of the tube 15 and the bafile 26is disposed above said strainer 30 and beneath and spaced from the valveseat member 19.

A ball valve 34, comprising a hollow sphere, preferably -a ping-pongball, is loosely confined between the valve seat 21 and the baflle 26,as seen in Figure 4.

A deflector blade 35 has a forward end 36 anchored in the lower part ofthe hull bottom 14. Said blade 35 has an intermediate and rear portion37 extending downwardly and rearwardly from the underside of the hullbottom 14 and terminating beneath the forward portion of the tube 15, asseen in Figure 4. The deflector blade 35 is of a width at least equal tothe diameter of the tube 15, as seen in Figures 2 and 3.

It will be understood that each tube 15 includes all of the partspreviously described and as illustrated in Figure 4. The hull bottom 14is provided with a centrally disposed depending keel 38 which extendsfrom end-toend thereof and to the bottom edge of which is secured a tube39 which forms a part of the keel 38 and which is enclosed by the outerskin or coating- 13 vof the keel. The tube 39 is preferably formed ofcopper and is filled with lead, as seen at 40 in Figures 2 and 7, forweighting the hull and to stabilize the boat 11.

If preferred, and as illustrated in Figure 1, the transom 41 mayconstitute a solid wood panel of ordinary thickness so that an outboardmotor can be readily mounted thereon in a conventional manner.

With the plugs 23 removed, the self-bailing units '15 are capable offunctioning for draining any water from t within .the boat 11. Thenormal waterline of the boat 11, as indicated by the broken line 42 inFigures 1, 2 and 4, is substantially below the level of the inside deckor bilge level 16 and slightly below the level of the baffle 26. Saidwaterline 42 constitutes the normal Waterline of the boat whensupporting a normal load. Consequently, the valves 34 of the two tubes15 will normally be in open positions beneath and spaced from the valveseats 21 and supported by the bafiles 26.

of the hull :will only be required to support the weight of that part ofthe water which is disposed above the level of the water surrounding theboat, after the deck level of the boat is above the surface of thewater. It

will thus be seen that the boat 11 is capable of draining any water inthe boat and while the boat is not under way or in motion.

The deflector blades 35 are provided to produce a siphoning action inthe tubes 15 to efiect a more rapid removal of the water from theinterior of the boat while it is under way and in the event that theboat ships a considerable amount of water, as while cruising in heavyseas. The valves 34 and valve seat members '19 may ,be omitted and areprovided only to prevent water from passing upwardly through the tubes15 into the interior of the boat 11, where the boat is cruising in heavyseas and is pitching excessively. The sea strainers '30 pre and thebaffles 26 restrict an upward surging of Water into the upper parts ofthe tubes 15, as where the boat is pitching in heavy seas, and to enablethe valves 34 to close and preventing the water from passing upwardlythrough the valve seat members 19'.

The keel 38 effectively protects the deflector blades 35 from damage dueto grounding or resulting from .the 'boat striking submerged objects. Inaddition, the

weight of the keel 38 and the weight 40 in the bottom thereof willefiectively function to stabilize the boat \11 and to prevent excessiverolling thereof.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resortedto, without departing from the function or scope of the invention ashereinafter defined by the appended claims, I Q

went debris from passing upwardly into the tubes 15 l I claim as myinvention:

1. A self-bailing boat comprising a hull termed primarily of alightweight material having a low specific gravity and including abottom of substantial thickness whereby the normal waterline of theboat, when loaded, is :below the level of the bilge line of the boat, atleast one conduit extending through the hull bottom through which waterfrom the interior of the boat is adapted to drain, a valve seat mountedin the upper end of said conduit, --a buoyant valve contained in saidconduit beneath the valve seat and movable into engagement with thevalve seat for closing the conduit to prevent water passing upwardlythrough the conduit into the boat, a baffle member mounted in a part ofsaid conduit and disposed beneath and spaced from the valve seat, saidbaffie member having .a plurality of small bores extending therethroughand constituting the only means for the passage of water between theparts of the conduit disposed above and below the baflle member forpreventing a surging of water through said conduit, said baifie memberbeing disposed beneath the buoyant valve for normally supporting saidvalve in an .open position out of engagement with the valve seat,

and each of said bores of the bafile member having end portionsangularly disposed relative to one another.

2. A self-bailing boat comprising a hull formed primarily of alightweight material having a low specific gravity and including abottom of substantial thickness whereby the normal waterline of theboat, when loaded,

.is below the level of the bilge line of the boat, at least one conduitextending through the hull bottom through which water from the interiorof the boat is adapted to drain, a valve seat mounted in the upper endof said conduit, a buoyant valve contained in said conduit .beneath thevalve seat and movable into engagement with the valve seat for closingthe conduit to prevent water passing upwardly through the conduit intothe boat, a bafile member mounted in a part of said conduit and disposedbeneath and spaced from the valve seat, said baflie member having aplurality of small bores extending therethrough and constituting theonly means for the passage of water between the parts of the conduitdisposed above and below the bafile member for preventing a surging ofwater through said conduit, said lbafiie member being disposed beneaththe buoyant valve f-or normally supporting said valve in an openposition out of engagement with the valve seat, said bafiie membercomprising a pair of discs disposed in abutting engagment with oneanother, each of said discs having bores extending therethrough, thebores of the two discs having adjacent communicating ends and beingangularly disposed relative to one another.

References Cited in the file of patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

